Stories and Second Chances
by Sarah9
Summary: This is a continuation to my previous story, Baby (which I have renamed Accidents and I Love You's). Lorelai and Luke's relationship grows as Lorelai prepares to open the Inn.
1. The Rainforests of Mexico

**Stories and Second Chances**  
  
**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own the Gilmore Girls. And, to be completely honest, I don't have the energy to write like they do on the show. I wish I did... At any rate, please don't sue me! I'm poor...  
  
**Rating:** PG  
  
**Summary:** Takes place after "Accidents and I Love Yous." (This story was formerly known as "Baby," but I realized that the title made no sense. So I changed it. Luke and Lorelai's relationship develops, and grows more serious. The Inn opens, etc. I only have the first chapter written right now, so I don't really know quite where I'm going with the story yet. There probably won't be an update for awhile, since I'm going out of town for a week starting Saturday (yay!). But hang in there for a couple of weeks, and I should have a new chapter up.

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**Chapter 1: The Rainforests of Mexico**  
  
Luke had barely seen Lorelai since that night a week ago, when they had finally admitted their feelings for each other. She had, of course, stopped in at the diner, demanding coffee. After all, she couldn't live without it. And they had smiled. Flirted. Just like normal. Just like they had almost every day since they had met. But it was so different now. Because now, the flirting was real. And the smiles had taken on a whole new meaning.  
  
Their newfound relationship was still tentative—even a little awkward at times. They weren't quite sure how to act around each other. But this was something that Luke was sure could be remedied, once they started spending more time together.  
  
If they ever got the _chance_ to spend more time together.  
  
Every morning at the diner, Lorelai would go into excruciating detail about her to-do list for the day. And every night—usually after ten, when the rest of the town was deserted, she would come back to the diner, looking haggard and exhausted, and rehash the day's events. She would complain about how much it cost to order flowers for the tables in the dining room, or she would describe the tiny dragonfly chocolates that had finally arrived for the pillows in the guest rooms, or she would reenact Sookie's latest accident in the kitchen. And then she would sigh deeply, telling him how tired she was.  
  
And every night for the past week, Luke would frown and nod sympathetically, trying to be supportive, when all he wanted to do was spend time with her. It was selfish, sure. And he felt bad about it.  
  
But they hadn't even gone on a date yet.  
  
And it was killing him.  
  
He had gone for years. Years without saying a thing about how he felt. And now that he had, and he knew that she felt the same way, he wanted nothing more than to see her. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. For the rest of his life. He wanted to hug her. Kiss her. Give her flowers, chocolate, presents. All those things he swore he'd never do, he wanted to do for her.  
  
But he had waited for years, and it wouldn't kill him to wait a little while longer. He just had to keep reminding himself that that this was Lorelai's dream. This was what she had worked for since she came to Stars Hollow years ago.  
  
Her own Inn.  
  
And her dream was finally becoming a reality.  
  
He was so proud of her.  
  
Luke sighed, scrubbing the counter. It was just a little past eight at night, and the diner was silent and deserted. Luke was barely paying attention to what was going on around him, his mind occupied with thoughts of Lorelai. He had been acting like this for the past week, but he figured that the townspeople would blame his spaciness on his recent head injury, and he didn't see any point in correcting them. His car accident had been the talk of the town for days, after he had shown up at the diner sporting a large cut on his forehead, and several unsightly bruises on his forearms. But his distractedness had nothing to do with his car accident, and everything to do with his heart.  
  
The bell above the diner door jingled, and he looked up, a smile spreading across his face.  
  
Lorelai walked up to the counter, throwing herself down on a stool, and lowering her head onto her arms.  
  
"Luuuuuuuuuke," she whined. "This has been the worst day ever."  
  
"What happened?" He asked, concerned.  
  
"The coffee machine broke." Lorelai moaned unhappily.  
  
Luke chuckled.  
  
"It's not funny," she said, raising her head from her arms. "I haven't had caffeine since I came in here this morning."  
  
Luke smiled. "Maybe you're in withdrawal. You should go with it. Quit cold turkey."  
  
Lorelai scowled at him. "You're mean."  
  
"No," Luke smiled. "I'm _healthy_."  
  
"Please?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"No. Caffeine is bad for you."  
  
"But the physical pain brought on by caffeine withdrawal is bad for me too!" Lorelai said, glaring at him.  
  
"Hmmm." Luke responded, unphased by her attempt at sympathy. He turned away, busying himself with a pile of receipts.  
  
Lorelai pouted. "Pretty please?"  
  
Luke ignored her.  
  
"Luke... come on. I don't have nearly enough energy to come up with creative excuses tonight. Just give me coffee."  
  
"Nope."  
  
Lorelai paused, narrowing her eyes. "You're evil."  
  
Luke remained silent.  
  
Finally, she shrugged. "Fine. Have it your way," she said, offended. "I was going to suggest we have a movie night tonight. You know. Just you and me. Alone. In the dark." Lorelai paused, letting her words sink in. "But if I can't have any coffee, I guess I'll be too tired..."  
  
Luke paused, turning back to her.  
  
"...and _who knows_ how long it could be before I have another night free, with the Inn opening next week. And we're booked solid for two weeks after the opening..." Lorelai continued. "But if this whole _caffeine_ thing is so important to you..." Lorelai sighed dramatically, again lowering her head onto her arms.  
  
"I'll meet you at nine," Luke said, holding back a smile at the obvious attempt to get her way. And it had worked, just like it always did.  
  
Lorelai raised her head up, her eyes coming to rest on a steaming cup of coffee, which Luke had silently placed in front of her while her face was buried in her arms.  
  
She grinned broadly, pleased that she had gotten her way again.  
  
Luke noticed her smile, and decided that it would be better not to admit that he had already poured the coffee for her, before she had arrived at the diner. He got a kick out of toying with her sometimes.  
  
Lorelai pulled the cup towards her, her eyes slipping shut as she took a long sip. Luke watched her, amused.  
  
"Mmmm...I love you..." she murmured softly.  
  
"I love you too," Luke replied. Lorelai looked up at him.  
  
"Oh..." she paused, pretending to be embarrassed. "I was talking to the coffee."  
  
Luke frowned at her, not quite sure whether she was kidding or not.  
  
"But I love you, too..." she said sweetly, flashing him a huge grin.  
  
"Thanks," Luke replied, rolling his eyes. He tried to keep a frown on his face as Lorelai batted her eyelashes at him over the rim of her coffee cup, but it was impossible, and he couldn't hold back a brief smile.  
  
"God, that was good," she said, setting her empty cup down on the counter in front of her.  
  
"You're not getting any more." Luke said, anticipating her request.  
  
"But—"  
  
"Did you know," Luke cut her off, "that forty percent of the rainforests in Mexico have been cut down and transformed into coffee-growing fields, all to supply people like you with a caffeine high that lasts about an hour?" Lorelai rolled her eyes, and reached out for her empty cup. "You are single- handedly destroying the rainforest," Luke finished, pulling the cup away from her.  
  
Lorelai stared at him, blinking slowly. After several seconds of silence, she smirked at him. "You're cute."  
  
Luke frowned. He opened his mouth to respond, but Lorelai cut him off.  
  
"Meet me in half an hour. I'll bring the movie and the junk food. You just bring yourself." Without another word, she turned and headed to the door. "Oh! I almost forgot," she said, turning back to him. "Don't forget the coffee!"  
  
Luke raised his hand to protest, but she was gone before he could say a word. He let his hand fall to his side, and chuckled, tossing his towel on the counter in resignation. His first date with Lorelai. With a final glance around the diner, Luke switched off the lights, and locked the door behind him. He had some last-minute errands to run.

TBC...

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A/N: Well, I hope you guys liked the chapter. Next will be the big first date. Hang in there until my next update. It might be awhile, but it's coming! Reviews are always appreciated!! I now have to start my minute-by- minute countdown to the season finale tonight!! 


	2. Celery and Yellow Roses

**Stories and Second Chances  
  
Disclaimer:** Let me check... nope. Still don't own the Gilmore Girls. _Bummer.  
_  
**Rating:** PG  
  
**Summary:** Takes place after my previous story "Accidents and I Love You's." (This story was formerly known as "Baby," but I realized that the title made no sense. So I changed it). Luke and Lorelai's relationship develops, and grows more serious. The Inn opens, etc. I know it's taken me awhile to get this second chapter up, but I'm afraid that might be common for the next few months, as I have a lot of vacations/work related trips/etc. coming up. So please bear with me and keep reading. (And reviewing, of course!)

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**Chapter 2:** Celery and Yellow Roses  
  
Lorelai's doorbell rang about half an hour later. She had somehow managed to play it cool at the diner, but in all honesty, she was nervous as Hell.  
  
After all, this was Luke.  
  
She was going on a date with Luke.  
  
After taking one final glance at herself in the mirror, she took a deep breath and headed to the front door.  
  
"You had better come bearing coffee," she said as she pulled the door open.  
  
Luke was waiting, and raised an eyebrow at her comment. Lorelai couldn't help but notice that he had discarded the usual flannel shirt, and now wore only a form-fitting grey t-shirt and her favorite pair of jeans. The baseball cap was still there, but she could tell that he had combed through the hair hidden underneath.  
  
Lorelai swallowed hard, reluctantly dragging her eyes away from the muscles of his shoulders to meet his eyes.  
  
"Hey," she said, feeling herself blush.  
  
"Hey," Luke replied. "No coffee," he said apologetically. "But I brought the next best thing." He pulled his hand from behind his back to reveal a small bouquet of miniature yellow roses.  
  
Lorelai looked down at the flowers in shock.  
  
"You got me flowers?" She said finally.  
  
Luke rolled his eyes. "No. They're for me."  
  
Lorelai ignored his sarcastic comment, taking the flowers from him, and tracing the tiny petals of the roses. "They're beautiful," she said softly, still unable to believe that Luke—her Luke—had brought her flowers.  
  
"Yeah...well..." Luke muttered, embarrassed. "Sorry they're not bigger—"  
  
Lorelai's eyes widened, and she cut him off, grinning. "Dirty!"  
  
Luke rolled his eyes, blushing slightly, but ignored her comment. "The market doesn't have the best selection..."  
  
"Doose's Market?" Lorelai asked, surprised. "You braved Taylor _and_ the prying eyes of Stars Hollow to get me flowers?"  
  
Luke nodded. "And I can assure you, Babette was very curious about why I was buying flowers in the first place, let alone this late at night."  
  
Lorelai laughed. "I'm impressed."  
  
"You should be, considering what I went through for something that's just going to die in a few days anyways," Luke muttered. But his eyes rose to meet hers, and she could see the hint of a smile on his face.  
  
"Always the hopeless romantic," Lorelai shot back. "Seriously, though. They're perfect."  
  
"You're perfect," Luke said automatically, his eyes darting away from hers, embarrassed when he realized what he had said.  
  
Lorelai grinned. "What? What was that you said? I think I missed it."  
  
Luke looked up at her, and Lorelai's smile faded, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the seriousness in his eyes.  
  
"I said, you're perfect." Luke said firmly, his gaze holding hers.  
  
They stood in the doorway for several seconds, their eyes locked, until finally, Lorelai cleared her throat, and stepped away from the still-open door.  
  
"You gonna come in, or what?" She asked, unable to hide the giddy grin that had spread across her face. Luke smiled, brushing past her as he made his way to the couch. Lorelai watched him go, still grinning, and feeling very much like a teenager on a date with her first crush.  
  
"I'm going to put these in some water, and I'll grab the food," she said finally. Luke's eyes followed her as she disappeared.  
  
"I got everything," Lorelai called from the kitchen. "Malomars, Hershey's kisses, and peanut butter cups for a chocolate fix. Oh! And popcorn and Fritos, because after all the chocolate, we're gonna want something salty..." Luke smiled to himself as she continued. "And, of course, you of all people know that a well-balanced diet is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle, so I picked up some Starbursts and Skittles."  
  
"And that's healthy how?" Luke asked, frowning.  
  
"Fruit group!" Lorelai exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"Of course..." Luke muttered. "I should have known."  
  
He looked up as Lorelai reappeared, her arms overloaded with bags and containers. Luke's eyes widened.  
  
"You have got to be kidding me," he said, watching as she dumped the pile of junk food onto the coffee table in front of him.  
  
Lorelai gasped. "I never kid about junk food!"  
  
"Please tell me you have _something_ healthy in that pile of crap," Luke said, staring at the pile.  
  
"Not to worry," she said. "Just to prove that I'm always thinking of you..." Lorelai shot him a broad grin before briefly returning to the kitchen. When she returned, she sat down beside him, holding out a bag "...I got you this."  
  
Luke took the bag from her, and shot her a look.  
  
"Celery?" He asked, less than impressed.  
  
"What? It's healthy!" Lorelai smiled at him conspiratorially. "And, as an added bonus..." She reached into the pile of junk food, pulling out a container of peanut butter and waving it in front of him dramatically. "It's low-fat. I got it just for you," she continued, as Luke took the container from her. "As official creator of Gilmore movie night, I just can't condone the consumption of a _completely_ healthy snack. It goes against everything I hold sacred..."  
  
Luke watched her as she continued to chatter away about the various rules of movie night. He couldn't believe how much he had missed her chatter over the last few days. Sure it drove him crazy. But in a good way.  
  
Luke smiled, his eyes moving down to her lips as she informed him of the most important pointers in selecting an appropriate movie night movie.  
  
And without thinking, he leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers, abruptly ending a lengthy explanation of good and bad Leonardo DiCaprio films.  
  
Lorelai gasped in surprise as Luke's lips met hers, then moaned softly as he began gently stroking her lips with his tongue. She slid closer to him on the couch as his hand moved up to run through the soft hair at the base of her neck. Unconsciously, Lorelai brought her own hand up to stroke the spattering of stubble on Luke's cheek.  
  
Reluctantly, Luke pulled away, breathing deeply.  
  
"Wow..." Lorelai said, her eyes sparkling. "I wasn't expecting that."  
  
Luke smiled gently, running his thumb along the line of her jaw.  
  
"I missed you this week," he said. He studied her face as he spoke, still getting used to the fact that he was able to be this close to her—to be with her like this.  
  
And it didn't even feel weird.  
  
It just felt... right.  
  
"I missed you, too," Lorelai replied, her face growing serious. "I was worried that you would think I was avoiding you or something. But I wasn't."  
  
Luke nodded, and she knew that no explanation was necessary. He understood, just like he always did.  
  
They sat in comfortable silence for several long moments, before a grin began to spread across Lorelai's face.  
  
Luke looked at her suspiciously. "What?"  
  
"Guess what we're watching tonight..." she said.  
  
Luke rolled his eyes. "I have no idea."  
  
"C'mon... you have to guess!" Lorelai said, swatting him on the arm.  
  
"No." Luke said.  
  
"You're no fun." Lorelai muttered, pouting. "Aren't you even curious?"  
  
"I could care less, as long as I'm watching it with you." Luke said.  
  
Lorelai hesitated for a moment, considering his statement. "Normally, that would be a really sweet thing to say. But coming from you, Mr. Grumpy, it's just freaky."  
  
"Just play the movie," Luke said, trying to hold back a smile.  
  
Lorelai sighed, before moving away to shove a well-used video tape into the VCR. She returned to the couch and sat next to Luke as the credits began to roll.  
  
"_North by Northwest_?" Luke said, surprised as the title appeared on the screen. "You've got better taste than I thought."  
  
Lorelai gasped. "I don't know whether to be offended by that or not." Luke just shrugged, turning his attention to the television screen. "I figure," Lorelai continued. "You can't go wrong with an Alfred Hitchcock movie. The man was a cinematic god. I mean, look at _The Birds_. Anyone who can make a movie about man-eating seagulls is a genius..."  
  
Luke chuckled. "Just watch the movie."  
  
Lorelai smiled, and they watched the movie for about half an hour in silence, before Luke sensed Lorelai moving closer to him. He glanced over at her, but saw that her eyes were still focused on the screen.  
  
Finally, after several more minutes of silence, Lorelai sighed, let out a loud yawn, and raised her arms into the air, stretching. Nonchalantly, she brought an arm down around Luke's shoulders, sending him a grin before returning her attention to the movie. This time, Luke couldn't hold back a laugh.  
  
"Smooth," he said. "I thought that was supposed to be my move."  
  
Lorelai sighed again, feigning frustration. "Normally, it would be. But obviously, if I had waited for you, it would have taken all night. And I'm cold."  
  
Luke paused, momentarily distracted by Lorelai's fingers, which were absently stoking his shoulder through the fabric of his t-shirt. His face serious, he moved his own arm down to her waist, giving her a slight tug, so that their bodies were touching on the couch.  
  
Lorelai sighed contentedly. "Now that's more like it," she said, snuggling closer to his body, and resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Does this feel weird?" Lorelai asked after several moments of silence.  
  
"Not at all," Luke said.  
  
"Is it weird that it doesn't feel weird?" Lorelai murmured.  
  
"No." Luke answered.  
  
Lorelai chuckled at his quick answer. "Okay then."  
  
They returned to the movie, and soon, Luke could feel Lorelai's breath grow steady, and he knew that she was asleep.  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: Well, again, sorry for the long wait. Life just seems to get way too busy. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Hopefully it was worth your wait. Please review, and, as always, feel free to give me any thoughts you have on plot, etc... 


	3. A Good Pillow Makes All the Difference

**Stories and Second Chances  
**  
**Disclaimer:** Same as always... see the previous two chapters if you're really that curious.  
  
**Rating:** PG  
  
**A/N:** Well, yet again, I took forever to update. I warned you! But I apologize none-the-less. Evil grad school applications and tests have taken over my life. Sigh. I apologize if any of my facts about Luke's mother and father are incorrect. I have yet to see seasons 2 and 3 (I'm waiting rather impatiently for the DVDs to come out someday), so I'm missing anything we learned between seasons 1 and 4. Anyways. I've edited this chapter about a million times, and I'm still not sure if I totally like it. I do hope you guys like it, though! If you like it, I'll probably like it more. If you hate it, I'll cry.

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**Chapter 3: A Good Pillow Makes All the Difference  
**  
_He was eight years old again.  
  
And terrified.  
  
His mother was sitting next to him in a hard, blue plastic chair as people rushed around them; doctors and orderlies going about their business, all oblivious to the fact that Luke's world was crumbling before his eyes.  
  
He wasn't brave enough to look, but he knew that his mother was crying.  
  
She had shaken him awake early that morning, way before the sun had come up, and told him that they were going to the hospital—that dad was sick again.  
  
And Luke had known, when he saw the look in her eyes, that this was the day he had been dreading.  
  
His father was dying.  
  
A tall doctor approached, peering down at them silently. Luke looked up at him, but the doctor avoided his eyes, instead turning to address his mother.  
  
"You can go in and see him now," the doctor said, his voice low, sad.  
  
Luke's mother rose from her seat, gripping her son's hand tightly within her own. She offered a small nod to the doctor before walking into the hospital room.  
  
The moment Luke stepped into the room, he knew that it was over. There was no greeting from his father—no talk of fishing or the hardware store or the town baseball game. His father had always used small talk to reassure his son and wife, when the hospital visits had been at their worst. To talk about the everyday events of Stars Hollow was to help them believe that everything would be okay. But not this time. This time there was silence, broken only by the slow, intermittent beeping of a heart monitor in the corner. The room was dim, but Luke's eyes still came to rest on his father's motionless form.  
  
He had to be strong.  
  
Luke approached the bed silently, and his father, eyes half open, reached out for his son's hand.  
  
"Lucas..." he said, his voice hoarse, barely a whisper. "Take care of your mother for me, okay?" Luke nodded, the tears welling in his eyes as the last bit of hope for his father disappeared.  
  
"I love you..."  
_  
Luke awoke with a jolt, breathing heavily. His heart was beating rapidly as he scanned the room, trying to remember where he was. It wasn't until he felt a slight movement next to him that he remembered.  
  
Movie night.  
  
He had fallen asleep on Lorelai's couch. He glanced down. Lorelai was still curled up beside him, her hand resting on his chest. She was sleeping peacefully, her breath coming softly and evenly.  
  
Slowly, Luke's heartbeat returned to normal, and he took a deep breath. He'd had the dream again. The same dream he'd had on and off since he was eight years old.  
  
Since the night his father had...  
  
Luke sighed, pushing the memory out of his mind. Slowly, being careful not to wake Lorelai, he ran a hand over his face. He pulled his hand away, though, when he felt the wetness on his cheeks.  
  
He had been crying in his sleep.  
  
He ran the back of his hands over his cheeks, wiping away the damp trails that his tears had left behind. Over twenty-five years, and the damned dream still got to him. He muttered under his breath, cursing the unfortunate timing of the dream. Of all the nights to wake up crying, it would have to be tonight. He had never been a fan of showing his emotions, but to wake up crying, with Lorelai lying right next to him no less, was just plain embarrassing.  
  
"Luke?"  
  
Lorelai's voice startled him, and he jumped, jerking his head towards her. Her eyes were sleepy as she squinted up at him through the darkness of the room.  
  
Luke cleared his throat. "Hey. I didn't mean to wake you," he said, turning his face away from her.  
  
"You didn't. I got hungry." She yawned, but continued to watch him curiously as she pushed herself up on the couch. "Are you okay?" She asked.  
  
Luke nodded silently, still unable to look at her.  
  
"You sure?" She turned to face him, and Luke could see the concern in her eyes.  
  
Damn. Why'd she have to be so perceptive?  
  
"I'm fine," Luke said testily, hoping that she would drop the issue.  
  
"Okay..." Lorelai said, pausing a moment before reaching up to run a finger along his still-damp cheek. Luke leaned away from her hand, embarrassed. She'd caught him.  
  
"It was just a dream," he said grumpily, feeling like he should explain the tears. "It's no big deal."  
  
"I've never seen you cry," Lorelai said softly.  
  
"I wasn't crying..." Luke muttered.  
  
"Riiight," Lorelai said skeptically, drawing out the word.  
  
"I wasn't—" he continued, defensively.  
  
"Luke." Lorelai interrupted his protest. "Come on. I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but you're pretty obvious..." She trailed off with a sympathetic smile, and Luke turned to meet her eyes, half expecting her to start teasing him. But her eyes were serious, and she was looking at him with so much compassion, with so much love, that, for a moment, he couldn't breathe. "You can tell me," she said after several moments of silence.  
  
Luke hesitated, before looking away again. He had never told anyone about the dreams—about how much his father's death had affected him. He had always considered the feelings too personal.  
  
But he wanted to tell Lorelai.  
  
No... he didn't want to tell her...  
  
He _needed_ to tell her.  
  
He took a deep breath before turning back to her.  
  
"It was about my father," he said finally. Lorelai nodded, moving closer to him on the couch. He didn't need to say any more. She knew what the dream had been about.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered, placing her hand on his arm.  
  
Luke sighed, frustrated with himself. "It's dumb," he said finally. "It's been years."  
  
Lorelai shook her head, smiling up at him. "It's not dumb. He was your father."  
  
And with those simple words, Luke fell in love with her all over again.  
  
They sat in silence for several minutes before Lorelai reached out, gently wrapping his hand in hers.  
  
"You never talk about it..." she said hesitantly. "About the day he died."  
  
Luke paused, interlacing his fingers with hers. "I can't." He said finally. "It still hurts."  
  
His words were so honest, so raw with emotion, that Lorelai felt tears spring to her eyes. She reached out, wrapping her arms around him, resting her head in the crook of his neck. And soon, she felt his arms wrap around her waist, returning the embrace.  
  
And when they finally separated, Luke told her everything.

* * *

"Are you still hungry?" Luke asked, much later.  
  
They had spent over an hour talking. About Luke's mother and father. About his childhood. About everything he had kept bottled up inside for so long. And now, they were sitting on the couch, Lorelai's head resting on Luke's chest, and Luke's hand lightly tracing patterns along her forearm.  
  
"Mmm...no." Lorelai mumbled sleepily. "Too tired to eat."  
  
Luke chuckled. "Wow. I never thought I'd see the day when Lorelai Gilmore refused food."  
  
"I'm not _refusing_," Lorelai said, pushing herself up to face him. "I'm just _postponing_." She grinned broadly, before collapsing back against his chest. "What time _is_ it, anyways?" She asked.  
  
Luke held up his watch for her, but she just moaned, closing her eyes tightly and snuggling closer to him. "Too tired to read," she mumbled into his chest.  
  
Luke rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the feel of her body pressed up against him. "It's a little past two." He raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by how late it had gotten. "Wow. I'd better get going. I have to open up in four hours."  
  
Lorelai moaned again. "Can't you stay?" She pouted. "You make a good pillow."  
  
He chuckled again, looping an arm around her waist and pulling her up with him as he stood. "Not tonight," he said, though in the back of his mind, he knew he wanted nothing more than to stay with her.  
  
Forever.  
  
"Fine," Lorelai whined, trailing behind him as he headed to the front door. "You know, a good pillow makes all the difference. But, since you won't stay, I guess I'll just have to make due Ralph."  
  
"Ralph?" Luke asked, confused.  
  
"My second-rate, non-Luke pillow," Lorelai said with a frown.  
  
"Ralph is your pillow?" Luke asked. Lorelai nodded. "You named your _pillow_?" Lorelai continued to nod enthusiastically. "You're insane," Luke said. But he was unable to hold back a smile.  
  
"True," Lorelai grinned. "But in a good way."  
  
"Can't argue with that," Luke conceded. He placed a hand on her waist, slowly pulling her towards him. Her grin disappeared as his lips met hers, and she moaned softly, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hand fell to the small of her back.  
  
Eventually, Lorelai pulled away, her eyes meeting his. "You're pretty good at that," she said with a grin.  
  
Luke returned her smile. "You're not so bad yourself."  
  
I had a good time tonight," Lorelai said softly.  
  
Luke's smile faded. "Except for my emotional breakdown," he said dryly.  
  
"In _spite_ of your emotional breakdown," Lorelai said quickly. "In fact, I'm a little relieved. Usually, I'm the one bawling," she teased.  
  
"I wasn't bawling," Luke grumbled.  
  
"Don't worry," Lorelai continued. "Your secret's safe with me. I won't tell anyone that you're really just a big, sensitive, flannel-covered teddy bear."  
  
"I am _not _a teddy bear," Luke muttered.  
  
"Yes you are," Lorelai grinned. "I love you... you big teddy bear."  
  
"I love you, too," he said quietly. "And just so you know, I'm only a big teddy bear with you."  
  
"Hah!" Lorelai laughed triumphantly. "So you admit it! You _are_ a teddy bear!"  
  
Luke sighed, pulling her to him for another quick kiss. "Be quiet," he said, pulling away, his voice low. He paused, thinking for a moment as he toyed absently with the ends of her hair. "You know," he said quietly. "I'm glad you were there. For the dream. I'm usually alone—"  
  
Lorelai smiled. "I know. I'm glad I was here, too." She hesitated. "And I always am. Here, I mean."  
  
"Thanks," Luke said, his voice sincere.  
  
Lorelai leaned her head against his chest for several moments, before yawning loudly.  
  
Luke rubbed her back, chuckling. "Are you going to make it upstairs without collapsing, or do I have to carry you to your bedroom?"  
  
Lorelai looked up at him, raising her eyebrow suggestively. "You?" She said, her voice incredulous. "Carry me up to bed? Dirty!"  
  
Luke shook his head. "That was weak."  
  
Lorelai nodded, ashamed. "I know. But at least I tried."  
  
She paused, moving closer to him as she ran her hand along the front of his t-shirt. "I _will _take a rain check, though. On the whole bedroom thing..." she said.  
  
Luke's eyes widened as her words sank in. He swallowed hard, opening his mouth to respond, but Lorelai had already backed away, retreating to the staircase.  
  
"Night, Diner Man," she said, before stifling another yawn and climbing the stairs.  
  
Luke watched her disappear, before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.  
  
"Night, Crazy Lady," he said to himself, smiling as he walked back to the diner.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, everyone... I hope you guys liked the chapter. It may have been too dramatic... or too fluffy... or something. But I tried, and I wanted to post _something_ so you guys wouldn't yell at me for being so slow with the updates. Anyways...if you have ANY ideas for where I should go with this story, please, please let me know (my email is adele1013email.com). I feel some major writer's block coming on, and any ideas would be helpful. 


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